MAGGIE

“Looks like you’ve got plenty to go around,” Emily says, peering into the basket where I’ve gathered the lavender scented towels for the second night in a row. “Dare I say you packed a few extra?”

I can feel my ears warming. “Tyler’s in the most expensive suite. I thought I’d bring an extra for Jessica.”

“That’s real thoughtful of you. Especially when I thought you might be skipping their room tonight.”

“Why do you say that?”

Emily kicks the washing machine and, as she does, I notice the rhythmic whirring happening inside of it. “Seemed to me like Tyler was making up for something today.”

“He doesn’t have to make up for anything. The past is in the past.”

“What about the present? More specifically, this morning—in case your memory is foggy. I hear you had a visitor at the laundromat.”

I turn, lean against the purring machine, and face Emily. I leap away from it at once as the vibrations remind me of the steamy moment I’d shared with Tyler earlier today in a very similar location. “Yes.”

“And?”

I flinch. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“What happened?”

“He kissed me,” I blurt out. “And it was so great, Emily, you don’t even know. It was sexy, and hot, and sweet, and...” I run out of descriptions. “Then it stopped, and we went back to real life.”

“Yeah, there’s more.”

Emily’s not looking as surprised as I expected, so I flip the conversation and narrow my eyes on her. “What happened here is the next question. Did Tyler fix the machine while you grilled him?”

“Essentially,” she admits. “And I think you should be careful.”

My back goes rigid. “What do you mean?”

“I just think...” she analyzes her next words carefully. “There’s a lot to Tyler Daniels, and I don’t think you should rush into anything.”

“I’m not rushing anywhere,” I say, sounding excessively defensive. “The kiss didn’t mean we’re engaged. It just caught me by surprise, and I’d been having a tough morning already.”

“And the rest of the day ended pretty lousy, too, didn’t it?”

I fold towels, averting my eyes. “It wasn’t the best.”

“Look, you know I love you. I don’t even have any real reason to dislike Tyler. I actually like the guy, oddly enough, which has me scratching my head,” she says with a laugh. “But I love you, and I’m worried. He’s in town for only a short time, and I’m not—I’m not even sure what he’s doing here.”

I frown, puzzling on this part of the equation. “I haven’t asked about his job. I guess it slipped my mind.”

“Bet a lot of things slip your mind when your tongue’s down his throat.”

“My tongue! Emily,” I chastise. “Oh, right—I forgot to ask him if he’d stay longer. I’m sorry.”

“Guess what? You don’t have to worry about it,” she says with a smug smile. “I threatened to fill his room, and he recouped his reservation. He’s sticking around, at least through the New Year—I guess we’ll have to play it by ear after that.”

“That sucks.” If Tyler left town after this weekend, I wouldn’t have to worry about what had happened between us—he’d be gone, just like before. “It’d be simpler if he just left.”

“I’ve never known you to do simple.”

I shrug in agreement and consider this, wondering if I’m really upset, or if I’m just worried, like Emily suggested. Maybe she’s right. Maybe I am jumping in too quickly.

Or, I think, a new idea dawning—maybe this time around, I jump in with two feet. We could say to hell with putting labels on things and spend the next three months getting to know one another, having some fun together. As long as I know he’s leaving, I can protect myself.

“Don’t think it,” Emily says. “I can read your mind.”

I raise my eyebrows. “It’s different this time.”

“Is it?”

This time around, I’m armed with the knowledge that things between us aren’t permanent. “With an end in sight, what’s the problem with seeing how things go? There’s chemistry between us.”

“It’s a bad idea, Maggie.”

“Maybe you’re wrong—maybe it’s a great idea. I can finally put to rest my issues with Tyler. We can part ways as friends. If things fizzle out, I’ll never wonder again what might have been.”

“The spark won’t die,” Emily says. “We both know it.”

“Thanks for your advice.” I lift the towel basket, buoyed by my new idea. “I’m going to drop these off and head to bed.”

“Sure,” she says. “But if you decide I’m right, my door is always open. And I have wine.”

I offer her a smile, but I’m a blur as I walk out the door, my mind hazy with indecision. I climb the stairs, my legs feeling like lead as I stomp to the second floor. I deliver the rest of the towels first, and when my basket load is lightened significantly, I point my toes in the direction of Tyler’s door.

Before I know it, I’m knocking on the wooden panel, and my heart is thumping. I have a half-apology in my throat, ready to call for a minor truce. For the sake of our girls, I tell myself. We’re two adults who should be able to get along, and I’ll start by taking the high road.

I knock on the door a second time, easing slowly out of the fog as I realize they’re probably not home. I didn’t see the two come back after school, and there are no lights shining from under the door.

I give a final knock, my heart sinking. What if I’d pushed him too far this morning? Jessica did tell me that her father dates. I’m sure there are plenty of women here in town just itching to reconnect with Tyler in a special sort of way. Maybe he found one of them for tonight and dropped Jess off with her grandparents.

Or, maybe the phone call from Anastasia meant something. Maybe there’s more to the story than I imagined, and Tyler’s not as unattached as I thought.

With a heavy pit in my stomach, I back away. By the time I return the extra towels to the linen closet and bid goodnight to a concerned looking Emily and Luca, I feel downright melancholy.

Mila’s just finishing up her homework with the help of Luca, and she trots behind me to our room, hopping in bed after brushing her teeth. Instead of climbing into my own bed, I follow Mila to hers and read three chapters instead of two.

She’s sleeping halfway through the first.

I snuggle lower and wrap my arms around my baby. Her heart beats against mine, and her breath blows soft puffs of air across my cheek, drying the last tears of the day.